Undercover Hearts
by NewYorkNewYorkGirl
Summary: The one thing Jamie always knew, beyond the shadow of doubt, was he wanted to find true love. And so far, Cupid hadn't been kind. When he meets someone that the fates had been trying connect for years, will her past and his current career choices rip them apart before they truly have a chance...?
1. Chapter 1

***So, this idea has been rolling around in my head since the season 2 finale.***

"What time you start last night?" Danny asked Jamie as he skillfully dunked the basketball in his hands.

Jamie closed his eyes in annoyance at yet another point in Danny's favor. "Graveyard shift," he grunted.

"What's wrong, little brother?" Danny teased. "You upset your old ass brother can still whip your ass on the court?" He circled around Jamie, smirking, dribbing the ball.

"Whatever, Danny," Jamie rolled his eyes. "You slept last night. I didn't. I think that has something to do with your performance today." He grabbed the ball and took a chance. It bounced off the rim. "Damn it!"

Danny chuckled. "I didn't sleep well," he admitted.

"Well, you seem like your usual charming self," Jamie shot back good naturedly. "Seems like you slept just fine."

"I'm a father, I'm used to sleep deprivation." He knew that Jamie was done playing because he just slumped down on to the lowest bench of the nearby bleacher. One last shot, and the ball easily swooshed through the net. He then moved over to the bench and sat down beside his brother. "I think I know what has you so distracted." He opened the water bottle and took a long drink, carefully watching Jamie from the corner of his eye.

"Oh yeah?" Jamie questioned, one eyebrow raised.

"Rumor has it that while Jimmy Riordan may be retired, you may have caught another undercover case..." Jamie continued looking at the pavement, appearing to be unwilling to look at Danny. "It's actually quite the compliment. Usually most officers need three to five years before their superiors have enough faith to put them undercover. You did it in, what? A little over a year?" Danny slapped his brother on the back.

Things were still somewhat tense, but they were making good on their Mothers Day talk. They were trying to find a way to be more than just brothers.

Jamie offered him a tense, half smile. "Think I'm ready for another assignment?"

Danny wasn't prepared for that question. He took a deep breath, weighing his words carefully. Truth be told, he knew Jamie was a good cop. He had the instinct for it, even if the way he handled the situations he found himself in were much different than the way Danny would handle them. But Jamie was still his little brother. The idea of him wearing a uniform was scary enough...but add the unknown of undercover work for a still relatively new beat cop...?

"I can't tell you if you're ready or not," he said simply. "Only you know that."

Jamie looked up and was about to say something when a young woman, about 25 years old, caught his eye.

Danny looked over and smirked when he saw her jogging. He elbowed Jamie. "See something you like?"

Jamie shook his head and quietly muttered, "Shut up, Danny."

"Been a long time, huh?" he teased.

"Longer than you know," he groaned. A small blush crept into his cheeks when he realized what he had just admitted to his older brother.

They watched as the young woman slowed, going from a jog to a walk. Her left hand clutched at her side and she breathed heavily. She found a large tree about 20 feet from where the brothers sat and immediately leaned against it, closing her eyes. She focused on her breathing.

"You OK?" Jamie called over.

She peered over at them in the early morning sun. "Great," she softly laughed. She used her right hand to point to her flat stomach where her left hand still rested. "Just a cramp. Now I remember why I never took up running as a hobby."

Danny smirked. "My wife says she runs for the endorphins."

"They never found me," the young woman countered.

"If you already knew that, why're you running?" Jamie asked.

"New Years Resolution." She said it with a straight face.

"But it's the middle of May...?" Jamie smirked.

She smiled. "Better late than never, right? Besides, now I can say I did it. I've decided the next time I run, it'll be for one of two reasons. An axe murderer behind me, or a burger infront of me."

Jamie laughed. "Sounds reasonable."

"I thought so too." Once again, she said it with a straight face before cracking a small smile. When her phone began to ring, she looked down at the caller ID. "I have to take this. Enjoy your game," she motioned towards the ball resting between Jamie and Danny's feet.

Jamie and Danny watched as she walked off, a smile on her face. They could hear her side of the conversation as she slowly made her way back to the path. "I just finished my run at the park...no, your hearing is just fine. I said I went for a run...why are you laughing? It's not *that* funny!" She started to laugh along with the person on the other end of the call.

Jamie couldn't help but chuckle at the animated conversation.

Danny slapped his kid brother on the back. "You gotta get back in the game."

"You aren't talking basketball, are you?"

"Not only was that woman gorgeous, but she seemed sweet."

"You got that from one brief conversation?" Jamie half way smirked. "What makes you such an expert?"

"I found my girl," he shrugged. "And I'm never lettin' her go. Now it's time for you to find yours."

"What makes you think I'm not looking? Not back in the game?"

"When was the last time you had a date?" Danny asked. The silence told him the answer. "That's what I thought. You let that woman walk away without so much as asking her name, let alone her phone number."

"Maybe I didn't make a move because my big brother would've been looking over my shoulder."

"Uh huh. Keep tellin' yourself that's why you sat on your ass and didn't make a move." Danny stood up and walked back onto the court, leaving Jamie to sit and think

***What do you all think? I'm definitely leaning towards another undercover assignment for Jamie while he navigates the waters of romance...and what that undercover assignment might mean in terms of keeping loved ones safe... ***


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I had meant to update earlier, but things in my life got a little complicated. I can't even blame the Holidays! LOL

Jamie sat on a bench under a large Elm tree in Washington Square Park. The area of the park he was in was nearly vacant, and that worked perfectly. The fewer who saw, the better.

Though it was on the beginning of June, the summer temperatures had arrived early. It was only eleven am, and it was already 73 degrees. The forecast said the daytime high would be 82 degrees.

After his midnight tour had ended, he checked his phone and found a message from Arboghast. The new undercover assignment was happening. Immediately.

He had quickly headed over to Arboghast's office, where they had gone over the cover story one more time. Jamie had spent every moment he could spare while off duty learning about his new alias, so he was already confident that he knew Johnny Rosen backwards and forwards.

Now all he could do was wait. Glancing down, he looked at his clothes. Well worn jeans, a navy blue t-shirt and ratty sneakers. All splattered with paint. Much like the way he looked when he briefly helped Renzulli on his painting crew. For good measure, Arboghast had a can of primer ready and waiting so Jamie could smear a bit of it across his hands.

Jamie silently cursed when he felt the bench shift as someone sat down on the opposite side.

The plan was for the undercover agent, Miguel Hernandez, who had already infiltrated the Giovanni Organization, under the alias of Mitch Hurst, to spot Johnny. He was going to text his phone, which was set to vibrate in his pocket. That was Jamie's cue that it was happening. From there, Miguel would bring Carmine Giovanni over to Johnny, under the guise of spotting an old friend who had recently been paroled.

"Don't I know you?" a womans voice asked.

Jamie looked over and saw it was the woman he and Danny had spoken to little more than a week earlier. The jogger from the park. He was stunned.

"Ah, yeah...well, sort sort of," he stuttered. He took a second to gather his composure. "The morning you went for a jog," Jamie continued. "I was there playing basketball with my" he wasn't quite sure how much he could say, "friend."

"That's right," she smiled before taking a sip of her Sweet Tea from a local coffee shop. She noticed his clothes. "You're a painter?"

"Whatever pays the bills, right?" He didn't quite understand why, but he felt guilty lying to this woman, so he steered the conversation towards her. "What about you? In between meetings?" She looked him oddly. "I just assumed you were a career woman." He motioned to her dress.

It was soft and femine. A delicate white lace that was fitted on top but flared out on the bottom so it didn't cling to her. A few accessories in bright summery hues added a fashionable but youthful look.

She smiled. "I decided to clean myself up today. Feel like a girl again. I'm a house flipper...well, I guess more like a brown stone and apartment flipper."

"You don't seem like the type," he mused. When he realized how that must have sounded, he went to apologize but she wasn't offended.

She flexed her upper arms. "These babies can swing a sledge hammer like nobody's business. Destroying a wall is great for getting out pent up frustration."

"I'm sure," Jamie smiled back.

She laughed. "I'm serious!" She stood up and gently lifted the hem of her dress to expose a gash about four inches from the top of knee. "Three days ago, from the moment I woke up, my day was just utter hell. I went to a condo I just bought and started to rip apart the kitchen. Only problem?" she paused for a moment for dramatic effect. "I'm accident prone." She let the hem go and it fell gracefully back into place. She took her seat on the bench, this time angling her body toward Jamie. "One of the lower cabinet doors splintered and flew off in my direction. It won."

He chuckled. "That's why you're supposed to wear protective gear."

"In my defense, I was wearing protective gear. But they were goggles. The shorts I happened to be wearing are rags now, though. Which is really too bad because I loved those shorts."

"Lesson learned?"

She laughed softly. "Until next time. But, my point is, even though it won the battle, I won the war. I put every ounce of disappointment I had about that day into destroying a kitchen. By the time the evening rolled around, I felt light. Like a kid without a care in the world."

"You sound like you love what you do," he observed.

"It's fun. But my real passion is in design. I love the creative aspect of envisioning something in my mind and making it a reality."

"Did you go to design school?" Jamie asked.

"I studied fashion, actually. But my grandfather was an architect. By the time I was born, he was a successful business man. When I was a kid, he bought me a hard hat so I could go with him when he went to his job sites. I learned a lot from him." She took another sip of her tea. "What about you? Do you enjoy painting?"

He shrugged, again not wanting to lie. "Like I said, it pays the bills. For now."

"Are you part of a painting crew?"

He knew he had no other choice than to answer her with the back story that had been prepared for him as his alias Johnny Rosen. "I freelance. I fill in on painting crews when some of the guys call in sick."

She nodded her head. "If you're interested, I could talk to my General Contracter. I work with him on all of my renovation projects. He might know of a crew that needs another member."

"Thanks for the offer, but -" her cell phone interrupted his decline of her offer.

"I'm so sorry," she said quickly, pulling the phone out of her purse. "I'll just turn this off," but her brow furrowed as she caught the number on the ID. "Actually, I've gotta take this."

Jamie nodded in understanding as he motioned for her to go ahead. It would give him a minute to figure out how to decline her offer as politely as possible. He wasn't quite sure what reason he would give her about not being interested in steady work.

"Hello? ...You're speaking to her... What? ... When? ...Oh, God! Is he OK?"

The panic in her voice was obvious.

She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat, fighting the urge to cry. "Yeah, I'm leaving right now. I'll be there as soon as I can." She hung up the phone, rushing to stand up.

"Is everything OK?" Jamie asked, quickly standing up as well.

"I don't know. I'm sorry, but I have to go!" And with that, she was rushing off.

He felt the need to rush off after her to find out what was going on, or at the very least help her hail a cab. But the vibrating phone in his pocket stopped him in his tracks. He sighed deeply and watched as she hopped in a cab and it sped away.

Once again, he didn't even have her name.

He turned around to get to work.

"Holy shit!" He heard someone say. "Johnny? Man, is that you?"

"Mitch!" He replied, using Miguels alias, he plastered a on his face as he reach out to grab his hand. "It's good to see ya!" The embraced in a quick man hug, patting each other on the back.

"Been a while!" He turned to Carmine. "This guy and I go way back! Johnny Rosen, meet Carmine Giovanni."

Jamie had studied the Giovanni family files at the NYPD as a part of his preparation for the possibility of his becoming Johnny Rosen.

"Nice to meet you," Johnny extended his hand.

"Like wise," his concurred.

"How'd they treat ya in the clink?" Mitch asked Johnny.

He shrugged. "Fine, I guess. I did my time. Got in. Got out."

"Prison?"

Johnny nodded. "I'm a graduate of Miami Federal Prison."

Carmine was taking the bait, just as they'd hoped, though it was much faster than they had anticipated.

"What were you in for?"

"It was a bogus charge," Johnny shrugged. "Obstuction of Justice."

Carmine was intrigued. "What'd you obstruct?"

He was on the hook. It was time to reel him in. As agreed, Jamie would leave - letting Miguel's Mitch, who was now a trusted member of Carmine's inner circle, tell the tale of Johnny...

"They charged me with destroying evidence," he answered, as if it were nothing. He glanced at his watch. "I gotta get back to work. The walls don't paint themselves."

"New career path?" Mitch joked, jawwing as if he and Johnny had been friends for years.

"More like the only career an ex-con can get around here," his answered. "But I gotta start somewhere right?"

"Suppose so," Carmine nodded.

"You have plans Saturday night?" Mitch questioned. Johnny shook his head no. "Meet me at Chaos. On the corner of Houston and Essex Street."

"Sounds good. Ten o'clock?"

"That works," Miguel agreed, slapping Johnny on the back. "We'll catch up then."

"See ya there." Johnny then turned to Carmine and nodded in goodbye.

"What's his story?" Carmine asked Mitch as Johnny walked away.

"Good guy. You'd like him. When he got jammed up he didn't even think about rattin' out his boss," Mitch answered.

"What was his job?"

"Jack of All Trades," he shrugged. "Worked for a South American drug supplier. He was basically the middle man. Alcazar gave him the drugs, and he then supplied the dealers with their products. But his official title? Book keeper for the legitmate business. His coffee warehouse."

"Go on."

"Alcazar took in a kid off the street. Everyone assumed it was because he thought he could mold this guy into the most loyal employee by giving him a place to stay, money to spend and a flashy car. Then one night, he sent this kid, Jason, to pick up a shipment of drugs."

Carmine motioned with his hands for Miguel to get to the point.

"Later that night, the cops pulled him over on suspicion of DUI. They searched the vehicle and found a brick of cocaine that had fallen under the backseat. Since he was young and wasn't legally employed, they wondered how he could own an Escalade. The title was free and clear and in his name. He kept his mouth shut while they grilled him for a few days as they were tracing the car back to a dealership. When they discovered that Alcazar was involved, they told the kid it was his last shot to make a deal. It was no secret in Miami that Alcazar was the main drug runner, but the police never had any evidence against him so this was their golden opportunity. The kid just wasn't cut out of a life of crime and he cracked. The cops called the DA's office to get a warrant to raid Alcazar's home and business."

"And Alcazar caught wind of Jason's betrayal."

"Oh yeah. His moles in DA's office called him as soon as the police submitted paperwork for the warrants. He called Johnny and ordered him to get the warehouse and destroy anything that could be incriminating."

"Did he destroy everything?"

"Yep. By the time he was done though, he knew the warrants had probably come thru and the cops would likely find him at the warehouse, so he scattered legit boxes of paperwork for the coffee business all around and he started to toss them into the incinerator. It was a pre-emptive strike incase they arrested him and tried to make a case, he could honestly say that what he was burning were coffee inventory counts and order forms."

Carmine nodded his head, clearly impressed. "Smart man." He looked at Mitch and narrowed his eyes a little. "How do you know all this? Before, it sounded like you hadn't seen him since before all this went down."

"Alcazar got him a lawyer who arranged for a conditional release. He had to wear an ankle monitor and was under house arrest. I was in Florida one weekend and stopped by on my through town. Johnny filled me in. A few weeks later, his trial started. The Prosecution brought their A game. Blew holes in his lawyers arguments...there was nothing concrete that Johnny destroyed evidence, but the jurors found him guilty. I heard that the jurors had given interviews to the press and basically said that it was obvious he was working for Alcazar, and not just at the coffee warehouse. They felt it was time to send a message that the people of Miami wanted the drugs off their streets and away from their kids."

"Did Johnny ever try to cut a deal?"

"Not once. If Johnny gives you his word, he's solid."

"What happened to the kid?"

"He cut his deal. When he walked out of the police station, it was the last time anyone ever saw him. Apparently people were talking about how they'd heard Alcazar had put a hit out on him. I'm convinced Johnny's jury was tainted because of the speculation about the kid being murdered."

"Do you know what happened to Alcazar? If he'd want Johnny back in his organization?"

"I don't doubt for a second that Alcazar would welcome him back to his organization. But he packed up and went back home to Columbia when there was too much heat on him here."

"Interesting," Carmine said, running a hand through his well coiffed hair. "What do you say we grab some lunch and you tell me more about Johnny?"

"You buyin'?" Mitch joked.

Carmine laughed. "What the hell. Why not?"

And with that, Miguel knew that he, as Mitch, had done his job. Johnny Rosen was as good as in with the Giovanni Organization.

I know this chapter was a little on the long side, so I apologize if you found it too word-y! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks so much for the reviews! I've been working on this update for a little while now, so I apologize for taking so long to get this up.

* * *

"I really appreciate everyone agreeing to a Saturday lunch," Linda smiled as she, Erin, Nicky and Henry bustled around the kitchen, preparing the family feast.

"Not a problem," Henry insisted as he rinsed some carrots off in the sink.

"How long is your Great Aunt in town for?" Nicky asked, pulling the butter out of the fridge.

"Just until Tuesday," Linda answered, cutting open some dinner rolls. "She's not so fond of the city anymore."

Erin chuckled. "I can't imagine getting sick of this place," she commented.

"I guess if you left your purse on the subway one too many times..." Linda started.

"Or got your heel stuck in a subway vent on the sidewlk one too many times..." Nicky giggled.

"How many elevators did she get stuck in?" Henry laughed.

Erin nodded in agreement. "OK, so she and New York City didn't exactly have a love story for the ages."

"More like one nightmare after the other," Danny said as he entered the kitchen, then leaned over to kiss Linda on the cheek, distracting her as he stole a roll from the plate on the counter.

"I saw that, Reagan!" She laughed, swatting at his hand.

"What?" He asked innocently as he quickly put his hand behind his back.

Jamie walked past, quickly grabbing at the roll that was in Danny's hand. Once Jamie was completely behind Linda, Danny pulled out his hands.

"See? I got nothing!"

"Baloney!" Linda giggled, whipping around and catching Jamie trying to grab a second roll. She slapped at his hand gently so he'd let go. "You'll spoil your dinners!" she reached over and took the roll that Danny had handed off to him.

"How do women do that?" Jamie muttered.

Frank laughed. "I was married to your mother for over 40 years, and I never figured it out."

Henry nodded in agreement. "Same here. Still a mystery to me."

Danny looked at Jamie. "I still haven't figured it out."

Linda smirked. "And I'll never tell. I gotta have some secrets, don't I?"

"Not from the finest dectective of the NYPD, you don't! I'll figure it out!" he laughed.

"Uh huh. Right. OK, Uncle Danny. Keep living in that delusional world," Nicky giggled.

"Oh, and you know how women know what's going on when they don't even see it?" Danny cocked his head, regarding his beloved niece. "Do tell. We're all ears."

She shook her head. "Like I'd spill a secret like that!"

Erin smirked. "That's my girl!" She put an arm around Nicky's shoulders. "Gotta protect the secret for the future generations to come..."

"Bullsh-"

Linda shoved a stack of plates into Danny's chest, effectively stopping him from finishing his comment as the boys came bounding into the room.

"Set the table," she ordered, with a look of amusement.

Jack pointed at his father. "That's another dollar in the swear jar, Dad!"

"I didn't swear!" Danny insisted.

"You almost did!" Sean countered. "It's a dollar for an almost swear and five dollars for the actual word. Ten if it's the big bomb."

"Go wash your hands," Danny said gruffly as the boys followed him out of the room.

"That's a pretty penny for the swear jar rules, Linda," Jamie chuckled.

"Yep. Keeps the boys from cursing. At least in front of us," she admitted. "Danny's the biggest contribitor."

"I bet," Frank laughed. "Swear jar never helped Mary and I when he was young."

"I'm still young!" Danny hollered from the dining room where he was still by himself setting the table. "I'm waiting for some help in here, little brother!"

Jamie laughed, taking a basket of cutlery and napkins.

Linda smiled gratefully at Jamie as her brother in law retreated from the kitchen. "Yeah, the swear jar is only helping us sock money away for the kids college educations. Other than that, I'm sure the boys curse like sailors when we're not around."

"Any idea on what time dinner will be ready?" Frank asked.

"In a rush, Francis?" Henry asked, one eye brow raised.

Frank raised a hand in mock surrender. "Just wondering if I have time for a quick moment with my sons."

"About 15 minutes, Dad," Erin answered.

Frank nodded in thanks.

"Can you send the boys in here?" Linda asked him. "Tell them they have to toss the salad and set the veggies out on the platter."'

Frank nodded again. "I'll check to make sure they washed their hands, too."

Linda smiled. "Good idea."

* * *

Frank shut the door to the study as Jamie and Danny settled themselves in the sofa across from his desk. The room had become known as the "war room" after he had been shot and was basically confined, by the department, to run to the PC's office from his home.

"You set?" Frank asked. Straight to the point.

Jamie nodded in confirmation. "Hernandez called last night. It's a-go."

"Be careful," Danny advised. "I did a little light reading. Checked out their files during my break yesterday."

"They do make the Sanfino's look like amatuers in comparison," Frank nodded.

Jamie sighed, leaning forward and taking the paperweight from Frank's desk into his hands. "I know. I've also read the files. Many times."

"Reading the files is a lot different than being around when they do it."

Jamie looked at his father and sighed. "I know. I've been running all sorts of senarios through my mind. How I would handle certain situations. How I would get out of a tricky spot..." he looked at Danny and saw his older brother was about to respond, "and yes, I know - I won't know how to respond to a situation until I'm in the middle of it. But, I'm thinking about it. I'm going in as prepared as possible. That's all I can really do."

"Any second thoughts?" Frank asked.

"I'd be lying if I said no," Jamie admitted. "But that's normal, isn't it?"

Frank and Danny nodded in confirmation.

"I'd be more concerned if you said differently."

"Dad, this is my calling," Jamie said firmly. "Police work is in my blood just as much as it's in yours, in Danny's, in Grandpa's."

Frank nodded, then looked out the window and towards the sky which was starting to cloud over. "All parents worry about their kids," he said quietly. He didn't have to see Danny nodding his head in agreement. "You'll understand that feeling well one day, Jamie." He swallowed against the lump in his throat that had suddenly appeared, causing a small burning sensation. "But ever since Joe, I worry even more."

Jamie nodded. "Yeah. I know." He set the paperweight back down on the desk and caught a glimpse of a picture of Joe on his Dad's desk. "But I also know that I have to do this."

"What do you mean?" Danny asked.

Jamie shrugged. "It's a feeling. I can't really explain it. I didn't have this urge with Nobel or the Sanfino's...but this time, I feel like if I do it, I could help someone avoid a lot of hurt and pain."

"And if you don't do it?" Frank asked.

Jamie sighed, looking down. "I know I sound crazy. But I feel like if I don't, I'll end up wondering who got hurt because I backed out."

"You mean like whose murder could you have prevented? Whose family wouldn't be mourning the loss of a person they loved?" Danny scratched the back of his neck, not really following.

"Maybe," Jamie answered. "Maybe not. I don't really understand it myself. But I know that my heart is telling me I have to do this."

A slight knock on the door caused all three to look at who was interrupting them.

"We're putting the food on the table," Erin said. And with that, she was gone again.

"Time to wash up, boys," Frank said, standing up. As he walked around the desk, he placed a hand on Jamie's shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze before carrying on towards the door.

"I guess that's that," Danny shrugged, standing up. "C'mon little brother."

* * *

"Nicky, c'mon!" Erin called into the living room. "Dessert is on the table."

"I'm here," Nicky answered. She slipped into her chair an set her cell phone down on the table.

"Don't we have a rule about cell phones at the table?" Henry tilted his head towards Nicky, waiting for her to put it away.

"Can you make an exception, just this once?" Nicky asked, sending him her big puppy dog eyes.

Erin rolled her eyes and smiled.

Linda chuckled. "I've not yet met a man, especially a Reagan man, who is immune to the doe eyed girl."

"And she's learning to use that to her full advantage," Erin whispered across the table. "She talked her father into taking her on a two week vacation to Europe this summer!"

"Two weeks?" Linda's eyes nearly bugged out her head.

"Yes. Two weeks. And it's not like I won't be supervised." Nicky cast a sidelong glance at her mother, hoping they could table this argument for later.

Henry motioned with his hands that he was in agreement with Nicky. He didn't want to even think about his only granddaughter running around Europe with that bum of a man she called Dad. "Getting back to this," he pointed to the cell phone. "Why make an exception?"

"The woman I babysit for in Manhattan might be going out tonight."

"I thought Breanne cancelled," Erin said, all thoughts of the Europe trip on the back burner.

"She did. But Nick called. He and Breanne's girlfriends are conspiring to get her to go out."

Linda laughed again. "Hang on a sec...they have to conspire to get her to go out? On a Saturday night?" She couldn't believe her ears. "If someone said to me 'hey let's go out', I'd find someone for these two. Even if I had to resort to bribery or blackmail."

"Hey!" Jack and Sean both protested, much to the amusement of everyone at the table.

"You two drove me nuts this week! And don't even get me started on your grades, Sean. Or your being late for class twice this week, Jack."

"Well, I wish Nick and her girlfriends luck," Erin sighed. "If I were her, I'd still be hovering for at least a week."

"What happened?" Henry asked.

"Her three year old son broke his arm at the playground a couple of days ago," Nicky answered, taking a sip of water.

"Kids break bones all the time," Danny shrugged.

Linda looked at him. "Remember how panicked I was when Jack hurt himself playing football?" Danny nodded his head. "It took you an entire day to get me to stop blaming myself for not wrapping him in bubble wrap before I sent him in on the field. And need I remind you, I'm a nurse?! "

"So your point is that mothers hover over their sons?" Danny smiled. That earned him a playful slap from his wife.

"She's a young, single mom, Danny. She blames herself for not being there. For not protecting him," Erin took a bite of the chocolate cake. "Linda has you to calm her down. Breanne doesn't have the support of her sons father."

"It's one night," Danny protested, shoveling a forkful of cake into his mouth. He looked to Jamie. "What do you think? Is this chick being too protective?"

Jamie sipped his coffee slowly. "I'm in the minority here," he said after a moment. "I don't have kids so I don't know what I'd do. What I do know, though, is that what's right for you isn't necessarily what's right for another parent."

Danny scoffed.

"You haven't asked how the kid broke his arm, either. Maybe it isn't the fact that he broke a bone, but how the bone was broken."

Danny was silent.

"Someone get a calendar," Erin joked. "We must memorialize this moment. Danny Reagan is speechless."

"Never thought I'd see the day," Linda leaned back in her chair, smiling broadly.

Henry threw his head back and laughed.

Frank snickered. "Well, son, you may not be a father yet, but you are pretty insightful."

Jamie chuckled. "How did he break his arm?" He looked from Erin to Nicky, wondering which Reagan woman would answer.

"She and a neighbor have sons that are about the same age, so they usually help each other out. They trade off with each other. One day a week they each take the others kid...gives them a moment to just breathe. Take a break for a minute. But her neighbor had a last minute appointment, so rather than disappoint the boys, she had the new nanny take them to the park. Apparently, the new nanny was easily distracted. While she was playing some game on her phone, Noah fell off the jungle gym."

"He's three!" Danny's fork clattered against the plate he'd dropped it into. "He shouldn't have been on the jungle gym unsupervised."

"Exactly," Erin smirked. "She thought her son was with her _friend._ Turns out, her kid was with a complete stranger who was too engrossed with Angry Birds to pay attention to the two little people she was supposed to be watching. She feels guilty. Feels like she failed her son. And that's why she's hovering now. It's her way of attempting to make up for it."

"She's a nice woman," Nicky looked to Jamie, a little glint in her eye. "Beautiful too."

Jamie choked on the coffee, setting the mug back down on the table.

"You would really like her," Erin chimed in. "She's really smart and sweet."

"No, no, no," Danny put his hands up. "Little brother over here has his eye on someone else."

"Who?" Frank questioned, unable to keep the surprise and hope from his voice.

"Thanks, Danny," Jamie muttered, wiping at the table cloth with his napkin.

"C'mon," Henry reached out and slapped Jamie's shoulder. "Out with it, boy. Who is she?"

"Oh, he's blushing!" Linda teased.

Jamie sighed, wishing the floor would open up under him and swallow him whole.

"Well, actually," Danny chuckled, "he doesn't know her name. But she's gorgeous!"

"Should I be worried?" Linda's head snapped to Danny. She knew she had nothing to be worried about. He may be a world-class flirt, but he would never hurt her. Especially since hurting her would mean hurting their sons.

"No way, babe," Danny leaned in and kissed his wife. "No need to be worried. You're all the woman I could ever want or need."

"Good answer."

"So how do you know about this woman if he doesn't even know her name?" Frank asked Danny.

"The first time he met her, we were in the park playing some basketball."

"Oh!" Linda jumped in her seat a little. "Is this the woman who said she wasn't going to run again unless there was an axe murderer behind her or a burger in front of her?"

Henry laughed. "Sounds like my kind of girl!"

Danny laughed. "That's the one."

"Wait," Nicky picked up...she looked at Danny. "You said 'the first time he met her'," she turned her attention to Jamie. "Just how many times have you met this woman, Uncle Jamie?"

"Twice," he answered. "Last time was a couple of days ago."

"And you still didn't get her name?" Frank chuckled.

Jamie groaned. "No."

Henry noticed his grandsons discomfort. He slapped him on the shoulder again. "Don't worry, Jamie. It was the fourth try before your dad got your moms name."

"Seriously?" Erin peered over at her father. "Why have I never heard this before?"

Jamie breathed a little easier, thankful that the heat was now off him and on his father who was being grilled by Erin, Linda and Nicky.

He looked at Danny and glared.

Danny just chuckled.

* * *

Please review! :)


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you to every single reader of this story. And an especially big thank you to everyone who has taken a few seconds to leave me a review. As I'm sure everyone has heard before, feedback is always muchly appreciated. :)

I am very sorry that this chapter took me so long to get out. I wish I had an interesting excuse, but the truth is I've been busy with life. Work, a sick mom and the death of my twelve and a half year old puppy who was the light of my life for so long. The unconditional love that an animal gives is hard to lose and I've been a bit of an emotional wreck. I have been working on this chapter for the last month or so, writing bits and pieces here and there.

I have a general outline figured out for this story, but that being said, nothing is set in stone so I am open to suggestion.

Anyway, on to chapter 4 of "Undercover Hearts"!

* * *

Jamie felt like his soul was dying. He'd been at Choas for about an hour, surrounded by the Giovanni brothers, their thugs, a few wanna bes and low level criminals. He cast a quick glance towards Miguel, or rather his alias Mitch, and saw that his fellow officer felt the same.

Each of the men seemingly took great pains to one-up one another. They'd look around the bar and spot one of their previous conquests, or someone who looked like a previous conquest and gloat about how they'd taken them into the bathroom for a quickie. Or how little effort it had taken to convince some girl, most likely a very insecure girl, to go home with them. How many times they'd had sex. How wild she was in the sack. How badly she wanted to please him and how he never returned the proverbial favor. How he'd gotten out of there in the morning, or if he'd brought her back to his place, how he'd ushered her out the door in the morning, usually with no more finesse than a bulldozer.

The thought of using a woman in such a cheap manner made Jamie's skin crawl. His parents had taught him that sex was something special and never something to be treated lightly. Of course, as he'd gotten older he realized a few things on his own. The first, when hormones started raging, it was easy to get carried away. That hadn't gotten any easier as he'd gotten older, but he had never and would never push a woman into doing something she wasn't interested in. The second was that while women sometimes wanted nothing more than a release, more often than not, things got complicated after sex.

"What 'bout you?" Carmine asked Johnny. "How was the tail down in Florida? Miami has some smokin' chicks!"

Jamie plastered a cocky grin on his face. "I definitely had my share."

"Oh come on! Don't leave us in suspense!" Carlos, one of the Giovanni thugs chortled.

Jamie took a long gulp of his beer, trying to come up with a believable story that he would be able to remember. Then he remembered a Halloween party at Harvard. A few minor changes to the truth and he might be able to sell it.

"They do it up big in Miami on Halloween," he started. "Weather is typically pretty warm at that time of year, so the costumes don't leave a whole lot to the imagination."

The men chuckled.

"All the women had legs up to here," he motioned to his neck, "a great rack and a fantastic ass." As the words left his lips, he inwardly cringed. "Then this one girl walks in and I swear, every single guy couldn't take his eyes off of her."

"Playboy Bunny?" Carlos smirked.

"Owl."

"An Owl?" Carmine's brow furrowed.

"Yeah," he nodded. "She was sexy as hell." He wasn't lying. "All these other chicks were offering themselves up on a silver platter...but this girl, she was mysterious. She had a mask on so I never saw her entire face, but she had the most brilliant blue eyes and her smile…" he shook his head and cleared his throat. "She was on her own at the party and she sat down at the bar and ordered a drink. When I approached her, she made me work for it."

Juan, a wannabe associate, rolled his eyes. "Dude, seriously? You let a chick run the show? A real man is always in control of his conquest."

Jamie shook his head and leveled his gaze directly at Juan. "Been there, done that," he said. "Half the thrill is in the chase. And knowing that every guy in the bar wanted her as badly as I wanted her upped the ante."

"And she chose you?"

Jamie smile was smug. He leaned back in his chair and shrugged. "I was best choice. All those other guys made it clear they only wanted one thing from her. They may as well have told her where they wanted it and a how. I, on the other hand, made her feel special. I asked her questions. I made her think that I valued her beauty and her brain. Of course, there wasn't much substance upstairs," he switched gears and sounded condescending as he pointed at his temple. "Only took a few minutes of feigning interest before she was all over me at the bar. She was practically giving me a lap dance."

Carmine threw his head back and laughed.

"How'd the night end?" Carlos leaned forward, interested in the new pick-up tactic.

"When she'd done all she could do to me the bar without getting arrested, she bit my ear and whispered in my ear to follow her to the bathroom."

All the men clapped their hands, agreeing how sexy it was when a woman did that.

"But, that was located on the other side of the very crowded bar. She grabbed my hand and lead to me the coat closet." He chuckled humorlessly. "Let's just say there were more than a few people who most definitely needed to get their coats dry cleaned after that!"

"Sounds like it was pretty wild night."

"Let's put it this way: I compare all women to her."

"How do they stack up?"

"No one has ever come close," he picked up his beer again and took another long pull.

The guys continued on with the Frat Boy mentality. They were loud and cocky and either women were incredibly attracted to their group (for reasons which he knew he'd never understand) or they would throw a few crude comments back at their table. Usually the men tossed some barbs back and forth until the women made it clear they were uninterested. They either told them off in no uncertain terms, or they'd just take their beverages to an empty table away from their crude comments. But so far, none of them had found a woman who was content to be nothing more than a scratching post for the evening.

* * *

"Can I get another?" Jamie hollered over the noise in an attempt to get the attention of the bartender, though he didn't seem to notice. People were approaching the bar faster than the single server could whip up the concoctions that people were asking for.

"Let me try to get his attention," a soft feminine voice said just over his shoulder.

Jamie turned to look over his shoulder and made a small space for the woman to lean up against the bar. He couldn't help but smile. It was the mystery woman from the park. "Think you can do better?"

She nodded her head in confirmation before clearing her throat and placing two fingers to her lips. Her sharp, but short, whistle caught the bartenders attention and he held up one finger, indicating he'd be over in a minute.

"See?" she smiled, softly laughing.

He smiled, leaning against the bar. He noticed how blue her eyes were. "I think that only works for women. If a man did that, the bartender would've held up a finger, but it wouldn't have been his index!"

She laughed again. "I suppose it might be more well received coming from a woman."

Jamie glanced over at the table and the realization that he was still working undercover hit him like a freight train. Now was not the time to be flirting.

He cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. "Everything OK?"

She looked at him oddly. "I'm sorry?"

"The other day, at the park…the phone call?" he asked.

"That's right," she nodded, her smile fading a little. "Sorry for running off like that."

He noticed the sparkle in her eyes faded a little at the memory.

"You could give a guy a complex when you run off like that, you know," he joked. He couldn't help himself. For some reason, he just wanted to see her happy.

She smiled and the sparkle in her eyes started to come back. "I am really sorry. I don't usually run away from people I've just met."

"Unless they happen to be carrying a pair of running shoes in just your size?" he couldn't help teasing.

"That is an exception to my rule," she smiled.

"Seriously, though," Jamie prodded. "Is everything OK?"

"Everything will be fine," she exhaled and forced her smile to get a little bigger, but once again, the sparkle was gone.

"What can I get you two?" The bartender finally asked.

"Two beers," she answered, reaching for her wallet.

"I got this," Jamie quickly pulled a twenty dollar bill from his wallet. "It's the least I can do. Without you, I'd still be standing here trying to get his attention."

She giggled and the bartender just offered a gruff apology as he quickly poured and placed two beers infront of where they stood at the bar.

A drunk man stumbled into her, knocking her off balance and right into Jamie's chest. His arms quickly enveloped her, steadying her, keeping her safe.

"Watch where you're going, Buddy!" Jamie called out, but the man was already stumbling away, unaware. When he glanced down to make sure she was OK, he noticed that she fit perfectly against him. It felt right.

She luxuriated in the feel of his strong arms holding her protectively. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so safe. His scent was intoxicating. It was a mix of something woodsy with a hint of citrus. Every inch of her body was tingling. She felt giddy. Like a teenage girl. She shook her head gently, reminding herself that she couldn't get carried away. She had to think all of her decisions through. She couldn't make a rash decision just because her body was reacting to this man in a way it had never reacted before.

She cleared her throat and gently, reluctantly moved out his arms. Sheepishly, she looked up until his eyes. "Thanks for the save. Me falling on a bar floor would be anything but graceful." Her lip curled upward, "or hygienic."

"True story," he smirked, pulling a shoe clad foot up off the floor. The sound made it clear that a soda like substance had been spilt and whoever had mopped up hadn't cared to do a good job. They laughed as he reached over to the bowl filled with peanuts. He held out his hand, offering to share.

"No thanks," she declined.

"Allergic?" He asked. She shook her head no. "Don't like them?"

"I like peanuts. I just don't like, shall we say, communal peanuts."

"Why is that?" he popped one in his mouth and he noticed she hesitated to answer. "It can't be that bad."

She cringed. "It is." When he went to put another peanut in his mouth, she grabbed his arm, halting him. "I'm sorry….it's just gross."

He laughed. "Peanuts at a bar are gross?" he chuckled.

"More like what's on the peanuts at the bar that's gross," she answered. "Think about it. One bowl – countless people reaching in and spreading germs….the ladies room was pretty gross. Can't imagine people who make that much of a mess actually wash their hands…and I'm guessing the men's room was just as bad, if not worse."

"Oh!" Jamie dropped the peanuts from his palm and quickly grabbed his beer and drank half of it quickly.

"Yeah," she nodded, "good idea. Alcohol might kill the bacteria."

He laughed. "Why the hell didn't that ever occur to me before?"

"Makes you want to run home and brush your teeth, doesn't it?"

"Little bit," he admitted, laughing.

Carmine suddenly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, making Jamie crash back to reality.

The man snaked an arm around the woman's shoulders. Jamie noticed she tensed up immediately.

"Just close the deal, already!" he laughed. Carmine looked at her. "You into my friend, Johnny?" he nodded his head towards Jamie. She said nothing just stared at him. "What's your name, little lady?"

Her gaze turned steely. "I don't appreciate men I don't know giving me a pet name."

Carmine smirked down at her then looked at Jamie. "You found a feisty one here, Johnny!"

Her lips were firmly set in a straight line. "Excuse me," she reached over to her shoulder and picked up his arm, removing it from her shoulders. She looked at Jamie. "I think we're done here."

Jamie felt his heart drop as she started to walk away from the two.

"Eh, no big loss," Carmine said loudly and rudely, wanting her to overhear. "You've got a stick up your ass, Sweetheart!"

She stopped in her track and turned around to face Carmine. "What I've got, _Sweetheart_, is self-respect. I have no desire to be yet another notch on anyone's bedpost. And I certainly have no desire to expose myself to all the STDs you're most likely a carrying around. When was the last time you got tested, huh? You clean?"

Carmine hated when a woman talked back.

"You're just jealous 'cause I've never taken you for a ride." His smug expression disappeared when she started to laugh, clearly amused that he was so sure of himself.

"Women share details about every aspect of their lives," she said when her laughter subsided. "You might be feared on the streets because of your rumored business dealings, but I can assure you, no one is talking about your magical abilities between the sheets. What we are gossiping about, however, is that Porsche you tool around in? Well, I've heard you're compensating for a rather short coming," she glanced to the fly of his jeans then back up to his face. "So, no…I'm not jealous. And I'm definitely not interested. In fact, I'd rather buy a lifetime supply of batteries than lower my standards so far as to end up in your bed, or wherever it is that you take women."

This time when she walked away, he had no snide comment to bring her back. Being verbally kicked in the balls once was enough for one night.

"You're better off without that bitch," Carmine commented, turning around to face Jamie.

"Thanks man," Jamie groaned. "Truly. " Angry, he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Jamie couldn't help feeling like Carmine, or more accurately, his undercover assignment, might've just cost him something very big.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed. :)


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the reviews. I'm very sorry that this chapter has taken me as long as it has to complete. I hope that I will be able to get another chapter out in the next couple of weeks (I'm going through serious Blue Bloods withdrawl)...and I also hope to get the chance to read more of the other Jamie related fics that have been uploaded. I've read bits and pieces and there are some really talented writers! :)

* * *

The door of the apartment swung open. "I appreciate your concern, Uncle Jamie, but I could've made it back to your apartment on my own."

"Sorry, Nicky," Jamie stepped inside. "Your mother made her wishes perfectly clear. I have no doubt she'd kill me if I didn't listen."

Nicky rolled her eyes. "You guys are way over protective."

"Hazard of the jobs we have, I guess," he looked around the space. Tall ceilings, exposed brick, a nice kitchen with large stainless steel appliances. The space could've been featured in a decor magazines, but there was a corner of the open living space that had large puzzle pieces locked together as a play mat. Toys were scattered around the space and some toys had been haphazardly thrown into baskets and shoved back into the open shelving.

Nicky walked into the play space and started to tidy up. "Honestly, I would've been fine. I could've gotten myself from this apartment to your place in one piece. I wish my family would trust me."

"It's not you we don't trust, Nicky," he lowered himself down onto the sofa and was surprised to find it was quite possibly the most comfortable sofa he'd ever sat on.

"I've heard it all before," she sighed. She hated that her mother forbid her from riding the subway after 10pm. If she were allowed to ride the subway, she could sleep in her own bed that night. Instead, she was going to spend the night on Jamie's pull out. It was a compromise she and her mother had brokered. She wanted to earn as much as she could before going to Europe with her Dad, so it was fine by her...but when she found out that Jamie had to pick her up and take her back to his place, she wanted to scream. She was 15. She had proven herself to be a capable and responsible person.

"When is she supposed to get home?" Jamie yawned.

"She was delayed."

"Delayed?" Jamie's eyes shot wide open. "By how long?"

Nicky shrugged her shoulds. "Don't know. Depends on how fast the cops do their jobs, I guess." She tossed a glance over her shoulder, smirking in his direction. "But if you're tired, I'd completely understand if you wanted to get home. I can find my own way there."

"Nice try," he picked up the television remote and turned on the flatscreen, scrolling through the listenings. "What happened?"

"She was a witness to a traffic accident. A taxi and a car. Not really sure about the details, but she called and said she had to give the police a statement." She walked over to the coffee table that Jamie had propped his feet up on. "Making yourself at home, huh?"

"It's comfortable," he shrugged.

"Want some pie?" Nicky asked as she picked up her water glass that was sitting on a coaster.

"What kind?" he questioned.

She laughed. "Does it matter?"

"Not if you bring me a coffee to go with it."

* * *

"HELP!" a little voice shouted.

Jamie woke up with a start, his eyes quickly finding the little boy running towards the sofa.

"What's wrong, little man?" Jamie asked softly as he climbed into Nicky's lap, then wrapped his arms around her neck.

He looked at the stranger and started to chew on his bottom lip. "Who are you?" He clung to Nicky like she was a life raft.

"He's my Uncle Jamie," Nicky answered. "He's OK."

"You promise?" his little voice wavered.

Nicky nodded animatedly at him. "I pinky promise." She held up her pinky to him.

The little boy giggled.

"Why aren't you sleeping, Noah?" Nicky asked him.

His little eyes started to tear up and his voice constricted. "M...mon..sters." He pointed to the hallway that he'd come from. "In my room. Under my bed."

Jamie stood up. "I'll get to the bottom of it, little man," he ruffled the little boys hair before walking off.

"Careful!" Noah shouted after him. "Monsters are big ole meanies!"

Jamie chuckled softly. He could hear Nicky and the little boy following behind him.

"That's my room," Noah whispered loudly.

Jamie turned and looked at the little boy seriously. "This one?"

Noah nodded sternly. "Yep! That's the one!"

He put up his hand and motioned for Nicky to stop. Noah clung to her neck a little tighter. Jamie hugged the wall and slowly pushed the bedroom door open, peering inside, just like he would if he were looking for a suspect who was hiding.

Nicky couldn't help but smile.

A minute later, Jamie walked back into the hallway. "All clear. No monsters here."

He wiggled in Nicky's arms and she set him down on the floor. He placed his hands on his hips. "Are you sure?" the little boy challenged.

Jamie glanced and Nicky and saw that she was amused as he was.

"Positive."

"Did you look under the bed?"

"I did." Jamie took a step towards the bed and kneeled down on the floor. "See, I'll show you." He lifted up the comforter that was hiding the underside of the bed, exposing the metal frame. "See? Nothing but a few action heros."

"Hey!" Noah said in surprise, his little hand grasping at a toy. "I've been looking for this!" The toy was just out of reach but he struggled for it anyway. Jamie easily scooped the toy up and handed it off to the child.

Noah smiled and muttered a quiet thank you as he stood up from the floor and started playing with it, all thoughts of monsters under his bed gone.

A gasp from behind Nicky caught their attention and they all turned around.

Jamie froze and he saw she had turned pale. She reached out and grabbed Noah's shoulder pulling him and Nicky behind her. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"I, uh," he had no words...his mind was a complete blank.

Nicky could see the shock and anger written across Breanne's face in the reflection of the mirror. She looked at her Uncle and saw that he was struggling to speak.

"He's here to pick me up," she offered quietly. "My mom told you that my Uncle would pick me up tonight."

Breanne refused to look away from the strange man, but she responded to Nicky. "Your mom told me that your Uncle Jamie would pick you up."

"Right," Nicky nodded.

Jamie cleared his throat as the cobb webs cleared his mind. He held out his hand, "My name is Jamie Reagan. It's nice to meet you. Officially."

"Jamie?" She was having trouble comprehending..."I thought your name was Johnny?"

"Why would you think that?" Nicky asked.

"It's a misunderstanding," Jamie answered quickly, shooting Nicky a look that told her not to press for further details.

"A misunderstanding?" she repeated. A tug on her hand forced her attention to the small boy hidden behind her.

"Mommy, I have to go potty," he said softly.

"Come on, buddy. I'll take you," Nicky took his free hand and led him out of the bedroom, towards the bathroom.

"What the hell is going on?" she hissed quietly when the kids were down the hall, far enough away. "Who are you? Jamie, the cop? Or Johnny, the guy who hangs out with criminals when he's off duty?" She rubbed her temples. "Does your family know about your double life?"

"Yes," he answered quickly, then thought of Nicky down the hall. "No." His head was swimming. "Sort of." He sighed. "It's not exactly a double life."

"What the hell would you call it then, huh?" she demanded.

"I can explain," he said quickly. As he said those words, he didn't know if he could...he wasn't supposed to expose his assignment to anyone...very few people within the department knew. He had gotten clearance to tell Renzuli because he didn't want to keep his partner in the dark again, not after how he'd reacted the first time. But now he was offering to explain to a woman who was mostly a stranger? It could put the whole operation at risk...

She scoffed. "Yeah, I bet you can."

"It's not what you think."

"How the hell would you know what I'm thinking? I don't even know what I'm thinking." She sat down on the edge of Noah's bed.

Jamie sighed and rubbed his temples. Not only had Carmine wrecked any chance he'd had with her, but now his undercover assignment could be in jeopardy. "Will you please give me the chance to explain?" His head was screaming at him to shut up, to stop offering to explain. But his heart was screaming louder to tell her the truth. To make it right.

She looked up and saw his eyes pleading with her. "I-" Nicky and Noah walked back into the room.

"You two play nice while we were gone?" Nicky teased.

"We're both still standing," she answered.

"Actually, you're sitting," Jamie joked in an attempted to ease her mind.

She cracked a small smile. "I guess I am." Noah yawned loudly, but fought against his heavy eyelids. "Come on, honey. Bed time."

"No," he protested weakly, shaking his little head. "I went to bed last night."

"You did. Just like a big boy!"

"I am a big boy!"

"You are," Breanne nodded, reaching out and pulling him into her arms. "You're growing up so fast." She laid him down gently and covered him up with his bedding.

He yawned again. "I want a story, Mommy."

Breanne sighed. "Not tonight sweetie."

"Nicky could read him one while we talk," Jamie suggested. Breanne glanced at Jamie, more than a little irritated.

"Yeah!" Noah nodded with enthusiasm.

Breanne pinched the bridge of her nose. She had zero energy to argument about this. She sighed and glanced at Nicky. "Could you read him a story?"

Nicky nodded and grabbed a book from the bookcase.

"I'll check on you later," she whispered to Noah, leaning over and kissing his forehead. "Dreams of Gold. I love you, baby."

"I'm not a baby!" he protested.

"It doesn't matter how old you are, you'll always be my baby," she countered.

Nicky sat down and leaned her back against Noah's headboard and stretched her legs on the mattress.

"I love you, Mommy."

She smiled and her heart melted. She'd never get tired of hearing it. She just hoped he never got tired of saying it.

"Love you more," she kissed once more, this time, on the tip of his nose before standing up and heading towards the bedroom door.

Jamie ruffled the little guys hair. "Good night, Little Man."

"G'night, Jamie. Thank you for looking for the monsters."

"Anytime, kid," he smiled. As he left the room, he shut the door gently behind him.

"You have some nerve," she quietly seethed in the darkness of the hallway.

He held up his hands in mock surrender. "I'm sorry," he offered.

"I said no to a story and then you contradict me by offering up your niece to read to my son!" She looked at her watch. "It's almost 1am!" She turned on her heel and walked towards her kitchen.

"I'd wave a white flag if I could, but I don't have one," he trailed behind her. "Look, I really am sorry. I normally wouldn't over step those boundaries. I just wanted the chance to explain."

"And you feel like you have to explain this now? In the wee hours of the morning?"

"Would you have agreed to meet with me tomorrow so I could explain?"

She rolled her neck from side to side, trying to alleviate the tension. "Honestly? I don't know."

He took a seat on a stool at the breakfast bar. "I'm not sure where to begin."

"Wait! I need pie," she announced, opening the fridge and discovering the pie was gone.

"I think Nicky and I finished it," he said quietly. "Sorry."

She nodded her head. "Good thing I have a big sweet tooth." She opened the freezer and pulled something out. "You want some?" She opened the cutlery drawer and pulled out a knife to cut it with. "It's Frozen Mocha Cheesecake."

Though he knew he shouldn't, it looked good. "Sure," he nodded.

They spent the next few minutes in silence as she struggled to cut through the frozen cookie crust. When she finally sat down on a bar stool a few feet away from him, she took a big bite of the pie. She savored the taste for a moment before setting the fork down on her pie plate. "OK. Full disclosure. Tell me the truth about your double life. How are you Jamie Reagan, the cop and Johnny who-ever, a guy who hangs out with asshole criminals?"

"I'm working undercover," he whispered.

She shook her head. "Erin said you were a rookie. How can a rookie be undercover? Don't you have to work your way up the rank before you get those cases handed to you?"

Jamie sighed. It was true. It was unusually for a cop with as little experience as he had to be undercover. He probably wouldn't believe it either.

"I have earned it," he insisted. "My first plain clothes tour, I was assigned to stake out a bar. They were serving underage kids, but even worse, they looked the other way when dealers made sales. One guy bought some ecstacy that was bad and nearly ODed. I called for a bus," he shook his head, "sorry, an ambulance and he survived. Turns out that guy was part of a crime family. And because he and his family thought that I single handedly saved his life, they trusted me. Pulled me in. Because of that, the NYPD was able to gather enough intel to make a lot of arrests and actually make the charges stick. That assignment ended a few ago."

"And you're already involved in another undercover assignment?" she questioned.

"I'm good at what I do. It sounds cocky, but it's true."

She just stared at him for a few moments. "Shit," she muttered, standing up. "I need more pie."

* * *

Reviews make me happy! Hope everyone had a wonderful holidays weekends! Canada Day and July 4th are favorites of mine! :)


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